Airplane landing-gear



G. H. CURTISS.

AIRPLANE LANDING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1918.

1,392,272. PatentdSept. 27, 1921.

avwewlo-z GLENN H (1021155.

UNITED s rA'rss PATENToFFJcE.

GLENN n. cua'rrss, or GARDEN our, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 'ro oun'rrss AEBOPLANE AND MOTOR CORPORATION, A ooaroaAr'IoN orNnw YORK.

AIRPLAN E LANDING-GEAR.

Specificationof Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 27, 1921.

Original application filed August 22, 1911, Serial No. 645,340. Divided and this application filed May 13, 1918. Serial No. 234,250.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, .GLENN H. Cun'rrss,

" a citizen of the United States, residing at Garden City, in the county of Nassau and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Airplane Landing-Gears, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to heavier than air flying machines and has. reference more particularly to such improvements in landing gear construction as are described and illustrated in an application filed by ine December 6, 1916, Serial Number 145,402, which application is in turn a division of an application filed August 22, 1911, Serial Number The landing gear is characterized by an arrangement of struts in pairs, the struts, in each instance being V-arranged with their apices founded upon a supporting base of the flotation type. The particular location of these struts with respect to the wing structure and with respect to the motor mass, will be hereinafter pointed out. It is sufficient to state that the arrangement of the struts is such that maximum strength is provided with a minimum of resistance to the air. Moreover, special consideratlon has been given the arrangement of the struts, with a view to effectually distributstruts is equally machines.

ing the hydroplaning and landing impacts which are more or less severe and racking in hydro-aero machines.

(While the features above generally referred to have been illustrated in connection with what is now known as a hydroairplane, it is to be understood that no l1m1- tatlon whatsoever to this partlcular type of craft is intended. The V-arrangement of as well adaptable to land Of the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspect ve view from the front, parts having beenomltted in order not to complicate the drawings; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

As intimated, many features of the complete machine have already been described and claimed in applications now pending and will, for this reason, he touchedupon but lightly or generally herein. The craft 1llustrated is of the biplane hydro-airplane type.

Supporting surfaces designated respectively section. of the wing structure.

10 and 11 extend transversely across the main flotation body 12 in lifting relation. These surfaces are interconnected and braced by wing posts 13 and cross arranged wires 14. Outriggers 15, arranged in pairs, extend rearwardly from the engine section or mid They support at their rearward extremity the directional control surfaces or empennage which comprises elevator flaps 17, a. rudder 1,8

and a horizontal stabilizer 19. The function Lateral balance manipulation of located respectively at opposite fore and aftaxis, preferably inillustrated, I form no part of the present invention and will, for this reason, be given little or no consideration hereinafter.

Upon reference to Fig. 1 it will benoted that all chassis or landing gear struts are V-arranged with the apices of the respective V-struts founded uponthe top surface of the main flotation body 12. These struts, preferably four in "number, I have designated as 20. Two of said struts extend substantially vertically from the underneath surfaceof the; lower supporting surfacell, in the plane of the forward wing beam (not shown to the flotation body 12, and two substantially vertically from .the underneath surface of the supportin surface in the plane of the rear wing beam %not shown). The inner leg of each V-strut extends substantially vertically and the outer leg laterally at an angle to effectually brace the ltrussed wing structure laterally. Said struts 20 and braces 21 constitute the mounting for the flotation body 12. The braces 21 extend diagonally forwardly from the underneath, surface of the supporting surface 11 adjacent its'leading edge to the top surface of the body 12 directly above a point calculated to receive the brunt of the landing and hydroplaning impact. Said braces 21 may be said to diverge rearwardly and upwardly from point inthe longitudinal vertical.

such. divergence i's more or less marked, it. Y

p is evident that the entire wing structure is versely across and is su well braced." "The V-struts 20, and more particularly the outer-legs thereof, additionally brace the wing structure, laterally however, rather than forwardly. The outer legs of the forward V-struts are 'so positioned relatively to the lower supporting surface 11 as to support it from beneath at the points above mentioned, 2'. 6., at points directly beneath the forward center wing posts the fore and aft axis of the craft and an- 13. The outer legs of the rear V-struts, although similarly extended, engage beneath the rear center wing posts rather than the forward center wing posts already mentioned.

From the side, the landing gear struts appear to be single vertical struts but this is because of the fact that the struts at opposite sides of the center line of the flotation body lie in the same transverse vertical plane. It is when viewed from the front that the struts 20 appear to be of substantially V-form. The \I-arrangement of struts is preferred, and in fact is extremely desirable because of the known strength of V- struts and their special adaptation to craft of this type in which a relatively wide structure (the wing structure) extends transported .-by a relagiyely narrow structure the flotation body 1 -v While I have described my inventionin detail in its present preferred embodiment,

it will be obvious to those skilled in the art after understanding my invention, that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, I aim in the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes.

What is' claimed is;

l. A landinggear for aircraft including a plurality of landing gear struts arranged in pairs, one pair of struts being located at one side of the longitudinal vertical plane of other pair at the opposite side thereof, a flotation base, the pairs of struts in each in; stance being substantially vertically disposed to support the flotation base at points respectively fore and aft, and the struts in each instance comprising laterally divergent strut legs which extend at an angle to each other.

2. A landing gear for hydro-aero machines including laterally separate pairs of landing struts, the struts in each instance comprising laterally divergent strut-legs, flotation means carried jointly by the landing struts and so positioned relatively to the machine as to effectually and properly support it upon the water, and landing braces located forwardly of the landing struts and likewise connecting with the flotation means,

the landing braces being located respectively at opposite sides of the fore and aft axis of the machine' In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature. r GLENN H. CURTISS. 

